By ebosele@hotmail.com –
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, is to deliver the keynote address at the 10th Annual Conference of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), scheduled to hold in Lagos.
Chairman of the 2026 Conference Planning Committee and Deputy President of GOCOP, Mr Olumide Iyanda, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday by the Guild’s Publicity Secretary, Ms Kemi Yesufu.
City Business News reports that the conference, themed “2027 Elections: Trust, Transparency and Shared Responsibilities,” is scheduled for Thursday, October 8, 2026, at the Radisson Blu Hotel, 38–40 Isaac John Street, Ikeja GRA, Lagos.
Iyanda said the choice of Amupitan as keynote speaker was significant as Nigeria moves closer to the 2027 general elections, with increasing attention on the credibility of the electoral process, public trust in institutions and the responsibilities of various stakeholders.
As INEC Chairman, Amupitan leads the institution responsible for conducting the 2027 general elections.
He is a Professor of Law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), with experience in teaching, research and university administration.
His areas of scholarship include the law of evidence, corporate governance, company law, privatisation law and electoral jurisprudence.
Before his appointment as INEC Chairman in October 2025, Amupitan held several academic and administrative positions at the University of Jos, including Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration) and Dean of the Faculty of Law.
According to Iyanda, Amupitan’s combination of legal scholarship, administrative experience and responsibility for conducting the 2027 elections places him in a strong position to address the conference.
He said, “The 2027 elections will be about more than what INEC does on election day. The credibility of the process will depend on the conduct of institutions, political parties and candidates, the media, civil society and the electorate.
“That is why we deliberately chose a theme that speaks to trust, transparency and shared responsibilities.”
Iyanda added that the INEC Chairman occupies a unique position in the conversation around electoral credibility.
“We expect his keynote address to provide important insight into the preparations for 2027, the challenges ahead and what other stakeholders must do to support a credible process,” he said.
The conference will examine the responsibilities of electoral institutions, political parties and candidates, the media, civil society and voters as Nigeria prepares for another general election.
Discussions will also focus on public confidence in the electoral process, access to credible information, transparency and the conduct of institutions and groups whose actions can affect the integrity of elections.
GOCOP had a similar engagement with INEC ahead of the 2023 general elections. In 2022, the then INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, delivered the keynote address titled “2023 Elections: Managing the Process for Credible Outcome.”
The 2026 conference will be chaired by former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and human rights advocate, Dr Olisa Agbakoba, SAN.
Agbakoba has been involved in Nigeria’s democracy and governance debates for several decades, with particular interest in constitutional reform, human rights, electoral reform, public policy and the rule of law.
Iyanda said Agbakoba’s experience makes him well suited to chair a conference examining trust, institutions and shared responsibility in the democratic process.
The 2026 event also marks the 10th edition of the GOCOP Annual Conference.
GOCOP is a business membership organisation comprising 127 online publications in Nigeria. Its members are media entrepreneurs who own and operate digital publishing businesses across the country.
The Guild promotes the business and ethics of online publishing, professional standards and the collective interests of its members, while also working to strengthen the sustainability and credibility of digital journalism in Nigeria.
Iyanda said the conference would provide an opportunity for online publishers to examine the responsibility of the media in providing accurate, fair and credible information as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 elections.
